Guard retention is a skill you can drill, not just a talent you're born with. Add these five to your week.
1. Hip escape ladder
Shrimp the length of the mat, focusing on framing and turning your hips fully each rep. Quality over speed.
2. Leg pummeling
From seated guard, practice replacing your legs between your partner's passing attempts — inside to outside, continuously.
3. Recover-to-frame
Partner passes at 30%; your only job is to frame, hip out, and re-insert a knee shield before they settle.
4. Technical stand-up
Sharpen your base and the ability to stand safely when guard fails — posture, post, stand.
5. Spider-to-lasso flow
Drill transitions between spider and lasso to keep distance and break your partner's posture.
Ten focused minutes a session beats an hour of going through the motions.